INDIANAPOLIS - The 12-time collegiate track cycling national champion Marian University cycling team not only brought in its first-ever team national title on the road this season, but the Knights turned in a season for the ages as they finished fourth in the final overall division I collegiate team rankings in 2009-10.

The Knights tallied a total of 56 points toward the final rankings after pulling in their fourth straight track championship and first road championship, widely considered the crown jewel of collegiate cycling.

Based on the four disciplines contested in the collegiate division, the Knights finished behind Fort Lewis College (75), Lees McRae College (72) and Lindsey Wilson College (60).

In addition to the two team national titles, the Knights earned a fifth-place finish at the 2009 collegiate cyclo-cross national championships and had a pair of competitors at the 2009 collegiate mountain bike national championships.

The goal of head coach Dean Peterson throughout the 2009-10 season was to continue expanding the MU program from just a track powerhouse to an elite program in the road and mountain bike disciplines.

He sees the cyclo-cross championship as the one gaining the most momentum and his goal is to have the Knights competing for national titles in each of the four disciplines and vying for the top spot in the overall team rankings.